The Moon Doth Hide Behind a Veil of Mysteries
by SyriMoon
Summary: Part one of three. Sakura challenges Yue to a rematch of the Final Judegment. She wants to prove her strength. But while she wants to prove herself to others, Yue has something to prove to himself...


My Charmed fans are going to kill me!

Hides from crazed Charmed fans

Yeah, I know, I know! I SWORE I wouldn't start another fic until I finished Destined to Die! But…but…it's Yue for crying out loud! How can I resist??!!

ANYway, let me set this story up. I've always though it was bull that Sakura could defeat Yue with Windy, a card under his jurisdiction. Now, of course, I couldn't exactly make a Final Judgment AU, considering Sakura loosing to Yue would pretty much end the show:P So I contrived this idea; what if Sakura wanted a rematch with Yue? To prove she didn't need Clow's help to win? What would happen?

Well, then the story took on a life of its own, including flashbacks, introspective, and a little bit of Touya! After 44 pages, it went from a one-shot to a three-parter!

Almost as exciting as writing the main plot was the subplot to this fic; the Cards. I love the dear Cards. But we just don't know enough about them! Which are Sun Ruled? Moon Ruled? Who's the gossip, the loner, the biggest snoop? Where do their allegiances lie in relation to their Master and their Guardian?

MorganD, this one's for you, for lighting in me a renewed love for the Clow Cards!

A/N- a leaf taken from MorganD's book; I am mortally offended by the color Bubble Gum Pink. So the cards, while changing the circle on their backs, have maintained their beautiful scarlet and gold coloring.

Yue/Clow, Yue/Touya

Takes place soon after The Sealed Card.

Enjoy!

)o(

"You wanna WHAT?" shrieked Kero-Chan, his tiny wings flaring with disbelief as he hovered above Sakura's desk that morning.

"I want to ask Yue for a re-match!" she repeated brightly, as she studied the narrow deck of cards in her hand. Jump, Sword, Shield, Libra, Time…she ran her hands over each matte face lovingly, feeling the cards warm in her hand, their powers pulsing gently at their Mistress's attention.

She'd taken the deck out that fallr morning, as she often did, just enjoying their presence, feeling the bond between her and every single card sharpen and strengthen. Seeing them, exquisitely drawn and crafted forms that held so much power and might always made even the most disgruntling day lighten.

Kero flew over to Sakura, shaking his head. "I think you have your pigtails in too tight," he decided, tugging gently on the blue ribbons tied in her hair.

"Kero-Chan! I do NOT have my hair in too tight," she shook her head slightly, telling Kero to please leave her hair alone. Just not in so many words. "What's the big deal anyway? It would just be a friendly little spar-"

Kero crossed him arms mid-air, shaking his head slightly. "Sakura, Sakura. Does Yue strike you as the kind to enjoy a 'friendly little spar?'"

Sakura shuffled through the deck, past Sand and Cloud and thought. "Perhaps not," she admitted finally. "But it's Yue, Kero-Chan. He wouldn't hurt me, even in battle. At least, not anymore," she added as an afterthought, the Final Judgment still fresh in her mind…

But that was why she wanted to do this so badly! Yue had, in all fairness, beaten her soundly that night; had it not been for the foresight of Clow Reed, Yue would have come out of the battle as the winner! But she knew the cards so much better than she did al that time ago; her powers had strengthened, her magic was increasing every day! She wanted to prove, to herself more than anyone, that she could hold her own now, and there was no one that could put up as fair and fierce a battle as the Moon Guardian…

But Kero was adamantly against her idea, despite his Mistresses enthusiasm. "No, he cares about you, kid. He doesn't how it very often, but he does."

"So then what's the problem?" Sakura demanded, laying the cards gently back into the book and locking the clasp securely. "He wouldn't attack with the intent to seriously hurt me, and I doubt I could do much damage to an immortal being. I just don't see what the problem here is, Kero-Chan!"

"The problem is that Yue's still bitter over your beating him!" The Sun Guardian was getting frustrated, his short temper clashing with his desire to keep his cool. Sighing deeply, he tried a different approach. "Listen, Sakura. Yue is nothing if not proud. A little kid beating him was bad enough, but beating him with Windy? A Card under his protection?"

"Hoe? Kero, I don't think I understand!" Sakura groaned, sinking down in her chair, her brow furrowed in thought. "I'm the Cards' master. Isn't it in their nature for them to obey me first before the Guardians?"

"Yeah, but Sakura, you weren't the Cards' master when you fought Yue! Windy is a Moon-Ruled card; under all intents and purposes, Windy should have held her allegiance to Yue. He may not seem like the kind to let anything get to him, but Yue saw that as little more than betrayal on Windy's part. To him, it was as though she'd turned on him in favor of you."

Sakura's expression softened from deep thought to a bit of anxiety. "He isn't…angry that I won, is he?" she cautioned. Sakura never liked to anger anyone, especially not someone she cared about, or one who had done so much for her.

Kero scratched his chin for a moment. "No, not angry. Just… bitter. Yue's one to hold a grudge-"

"-I've noticed." Sakura smiled faintly.

"-And he'd probably jump at the chance to battle against you," Kero finished reluctantly. Knowing that there wasn't any stopping the girl now.

And true to his instincts, Sakura had that fierce look of determination lighting up her emerald green eyes. "I know I can do this, Kero-Chan!" she proclaimed. "I just know it!"

)o(

Yue's reaction to his young Mistress's proposition of a battle was not quite what Sakura expected. Kero-Chan and Yue were about as polar-opposites as two being could get, so she expected a curt acceptance. But his surprise was quite a recollection of his brothers.

He studied Sakura for several long minutes after she arrived at Yukito's, asking to speak with Yue. Their switch took only a moment; a flash of brilliant blue light, a golden circle, and it wasn't Yukito's ever-cheerful smile greeting them, but Yue's pale, guarded eyes and formal demeanor.

As he always did, he bowed low to Sakura; it didn't matter how many times Sakura blushed and told Yue he didn't need to do that, Yue always saw due need to show this respect to his Mistress, the same with insisting on always calling her Mistress or Sakura-Sama.

"You wished to speak to me, Mistress?" he asked in a voice that was light…for Yue, anyway.

She nodded, smiling warmly. "Yeah! Um, Yue…I wanted to ask you a favor…"

"Yes, Mistress?" Yue prompted, arching one silvery eyebrow. Sakura-Sama never asked much, and rarely asked a specific task of him…

Sakura huffed under her breath, before declaring, "I want you to battle me, Yue! I want to spar, like during the Judgment!"

Yue's eyes widened slightly, his cat-like pupils narrowing. For Yue, who for centuries had built a seemingly impenetrable wall around himself, with enough strength to rival Shield, this was outrageous emotion, looking out-of-place, but not necessarily unbecoming on his generally impassive features.

"You want me to…fight you?" he asked finally, peering at the young girl with pale violet eyes though a curtain of platinum hair. "To battle you?"

"Hai!" Sakura smiled brightly. "Yue, you know as well as I do that you should have won the Judgment," she began, to which Yue nodded ever so slightly, secretly pleased to have been awarded that point by his Mistress. "But I'm not the same girl I was then. I'm stronger now, more than I ever have been! And I'm growing closer to the cards all the time! I've seen you fight, Yue, a hundred times! And if anyone can hold up a fight against the Cards, it's you!"

Yue was silent for a long minute, but that was expected of him. Where Kero was rash and impatient and eager to jump right into most things, Yue was cautious, calculating, examining first one aspect and then the other, forming every possible scenario and outcome, weighing the benefits and drawbacks before giving an answer.

Sakura-Sama wanted to fight…? Their Sakura-Sama, who hated having to fight without due cause?

Part of Yue, the prideful, competitive part of him, the part that had once longed to prove to Clow that he could do anything his Master wished of him and exceed expectations was already sorting through the deck, figuring which cards would be most likely to will to their Mistress, and which would balk at having to attack their own Guardian.

But there was the part of him that wouldn't even hear of attacking his Mistress! Sure, he had battled Clow countless times, sometimes coming from the scuffle in victory or with his fair share of scrapes and bruises…but that was different; Clow was a grown man, while Sakura-Sama was still only a child. Clow was older, stronger. Loosing to Clow had not been a shameful defeat, as his loss against a ten year old had been. When he lost to Clow…when he lost to Clow, there was no bitterness to him. There was only the incentive to try harder. The drive to prove himself. And after a bad loss, there were Clow's hands, tender and warm and gentle over his cuts and reddened skin…

"I will not be lenient, Sakura-Sama," he announced at last, shaking his head quickly but slightly, in a most curious way... "If you wish for me to fight you, Mistress, I will. But I will not go easy on you."

Sakura was possibly the only person on Earth who would beam at such a comment.

His elder brother, however, was not as pleased/ "Yueee!" he whined petulantly, "You cannot be serious!"

"If our Mistress wishes to fight me, Kerberos, I am in no position to deny her. The full moon is in 4 days, Mistress," he added. "I will be least dependant on your powers then."

"Right!" she smiled excitedly. "Moonrise then, at the shrine?" When Yue nodded once in agreement, she bowed a farewell and left, her skates carrying her quickly away from the Tsukishiro residence. Through the windowpane in the door, Yue could see her talking animatedly, then almost heatedly with Kero before surrendering his being back to Yukito.

'He isn't going to be happy about this…'

)o(

As 4 days turned quietly into 3, then unquestionably into 2, Sakura spent a great deal of her time thinking about the first night of the full moon, tomorrow night. Her emotions ranged from overall excitement, to frequent bits of anxiety (would the same cards work this time?) to one fit of near panic (she's seen Yue fight; his arrows never miss!!) But those moments were brief and fleeting; Yue, despite his skill and fighting prowess, would not attack with the intent to harm. At least, not seriously.

The morning after the date was set, Sakura and Touya had, as usually, met up with Yukito on their way to school. Although Yuki was vaguely aware of his Other Self (as he refered to Yue) he seemed to not be clued in to the fight.

It was times like these that Sakura was grateful that Yukito-san's consciousness was kept separate from Yue's; kind, gentle Yuki, she knew, wouldn't be able to stand seeing life through Yue's eyes, feel himself fighting with such ferocity. Yukito didn't even care to be in a friendly debate; she couldn't even imagine his reaction at knowing his Other Self was planning on attacking little Sakura-Chan, even if it was with good intentions…

"Yue ment what he said; he ain't gonna go easy on you!" Kero warned her that evening around a mouth full of butterscotch pudding. "He'll fight you with everything he has!"

"I know that, Kero-Chan," Sakura muttered, trying to concentrate on her math homework. Sensei would kill her if she came to class with another unfinished assignment.

"But do you?" Kero countered, pulling a now sticky face from the pudding cup after getting every last morsel of the creamy dessert. "What you saw in the final judgment isn't all the tricks Yue has up his sleeve."

"Nani?!" Sakura dropped her arithmetic book, turning to face the Sun Beast, currently looking quite un-beastlike licking pudding from his hands. "What do you mean by that? Kero?"

Kero didn't answer right away; he hovered several inches off the desktop, dipping every now and again. "You aren't the only one who has sway over the Cards, Sakura. You may be their master, but there are some cards, some attacks that won't work against one of us, not to mention the ways the cards will react to Yue or I, depending on how they're Ruled"

"Alliances? Kero, what does that mean? Which attacks? What cards won't work?" Sakura was really working herslf up now; partly because the possibility of a second defeat seemed to be increasing with every hour, and also with the knowledge that there was still so much she didn't know…Hell, she didn't even know which cards were under Yue's Jurisdiction!

"Uh-uh, Sakura!" Kero shook his head, folding his arms stubbornly. "I'm staying neutral on this one."

"What do you mean, on this one?" Sakura asked, nervously twirling a lock of hair around her finger.

"Yue and Clow used to spar all the time. Just for something to do, mostly. Boy was that something to watch! Both were as stubborn as anything! But I learned fast not to try and take sides, not to drop hints or tips. I once tattled on Yue, slipping his new spell to Clow…" he shuddered involuntarily. "One of the few times I ever saw Yue positively LIVID. Nope Sakura, no doin'. You wanna beat Yue, you gotta rely on what you already know. You jumped into this one, Kiddo, head first. Better learn how to swim, and fast!"

And without another word about the matter, he bid Sakura a good night and retreated to his drawer, trying to escape any further prosecution.

It was a while, though, before Sakura herself was ready to retire for the night. Her mind was too busy to allow her to rest.

"What did Kero mean?" she murmured softly to herself, the only other sound in the room besides Kero-Chan's mumblings and occasional exclamations of "yumm!" in his sleep.

"Kero-Chan said some cards won't work against Yue…but I was able to defeat him using Windy last time, and that's a Moon Ruled Card…" she'd often wondered just how Windy was able to overthrow Yue's guardianship over her, when both Time and Wood backfired and attacked her and Syoaran under Yue's command.

Would Windy work this time around? Or should she even use Windy? No, Yue wasn't stupid; he wouldn't fall for the same attack twice.

Sakura pulled the covers higher up, tucking them under her chin and she made a mental tally. Yue was strong, and very powerful. He was quick and his attacks accurate, and , according to Kero-Chan, could use the cards in a way she wasn't aware…But on the other hand, Sakura was the Cards Mistress; even if some things wouldn't work, only half of the Cards were Moon Ruled. She was getting more powerful each day; even Yue himself had agreed that her powers were advancing remarkably fast.

And they both had the advantage of the full moon. Yue wouldn't have to depend on Sakura for his strength, battling under his own symbol, and Sakura wouldn't tire as quickly as when they both had to fight at once.

Looking outside her window, finally starting to nod off, Sakura took one look at the almost spherical moon, only the smallest sliver hidden in shadows, and wondered if the moon, like the Moon's Guardian, also held it's own secrets…

)o(

"Sakura-Chan, you look so kawaii in this one!" squealed Tomoyo, viewing Sakura through the viewfinder of her prized camera.

"Em…" Sakura blushed, fidgeting with her costume, the newest creation from her friends' seemingly endless imagination for clothes. A black dress, short skirted and long sleeved, trimmed in Sakura's signature pink with a splattering of pink stars over the ruffled skirt and a dripping froth of pink ribbon down the back. It was undoubtedly a Tomoyo original.

"I thought stars was a more than appropriate theme for this!" she continued excitedly, her eyes glistening with stars of their own. "This is going to be a terrific addition to your video collection! Sakura-Chan versus Yue-San!"

"Heh heh…it isn't THAT big of a deal, Tomoyo-Chan!" Sakura tried to argue feebly, knowing her efforts were in vain. Tomoyo had nearly been beside herself with excitement when Sakura told her what she was planning. She'd gotten a new viewfinder just for the occasion.

Tomoyo didn't seem to notice. "I wonder if I should use the high-def…" she pondered aloud, messing with a few buttons on her camcorder.

She, unlike Sakura herself, had been sure she would win.

"No matter what Kero-Chan says, you know the Cards better than anyone, Sakura-Chan!" she'd assured her brightly. Sakura wasn't sure she was completely convinced, but it did boost her confidence as they neared the shrine…

…And unnoticed by the two travelers, there was one other walking only a dozen meters behind them, staying hidden in the shadows. One who was more than a little curious to see this match unfold…

)o(

It was seldom that Yue and Kerberos were ever in one another company without the presence of their Mistress. Kero had left earlier than Sakura, saying he needed to speak to him before the battle.

The two made quite an interesting scene, to say the least. A golden, winged lion bedecked in steel armor and rubies and a pale, purple eyed angel with his silver hair braided to the floor.

Lucky no one ever came around this time of night. This would take some tricky explaining…

"You sure you want to do this, Yue?" Kerberos asked finally, after standing in silcence for a quarter hour.

"Yes. I am." The younger of the two replied, his posture still stoic. "Why do you ask? Surely your faith in my ability to control myself isn't that shallow."

"No, no, that isn't it," Kerberos smirked gently. "I just don't want to have to put up with your sulking after Sakura beats you again."

Yue stiffened, the countless snow-white feathers of his folded wings bristling with agitation.

"I do not SULK, Kerberos," he replied testily, his feline eyes narrowing, offended.

Kerberos snorted dismissively, ruffling Yue's feathers all the more (no pun intended)

"Sure, Yue! And you didn't use to hide Tabasco sauce in my pudding," he half groused, half chuckled.

"I only did that once and it was Clow's idea to start with," Yue defended himself, his even voice lowering to nearly a grumble. "To see if you'd still eat it. He always did have a queer sense of humor."

"More like sadistic…" Kero griped, wincing at the memory of a mouthful of the chili sauce. He HATED spicy foods.

Once again the pair slipped into silence, not awkward, but not the most comfortable of conversation lapses.

It was strange really. Back before Clow…before he…Yue and Kero could have found a dozen topics to converse about or, more likely, argue about. The two would rarely let the household have a moment's peace during the day. Only at night, after Master had finished his work did the two guardians settle, finally having time to enjoy their Masters presence; Kero curled up on the rug before the fire or purring to be scratched behind the ears or on the belly, whilst Yue would kneel quietly at Master's side while Clow read and gave his elder brother the attention he asked for. He was patient, obedient. He would wait. And Kerberos knew when to leave; when Clow began speaking softly to Yue, running his fingers fondly through his silky platinum strands, Kero would mumble something about all this mushy-mushy stuff giving him a belly ache and bid them goodnight…

Yue loved Master's voice above all other sounds. It was the first sense that greeted him into this world; a melodic song of Chinese, English and Japanese, all intertwining into a language all its own…

But so many years, so many decades shut away in that cursed book and Yue had to struggle to remember Master Clow's voice. Could barely remember the sound of his laugh, the shine in his cerulean eyes, the feel of his warm breath on his cheek…so many years of darkness, shutting himself away from Kero, away from the Cards…

But even after the decades turned into a century, Kerberos could still read Yue's impassive, blank face better than anyone. When you know someone for nearly 250 years, things like that happened.

"I don't know why you're doing this Yue," he finally huffed, "But I can guess. And it isn't just your pride, either." When his brother remained as still as a marble carving, without even the slightest flicker of muscle or sign of acknowledgment, Kero took it as passive permission to continue.

"Clow was the only one who could defeat you, Yue. You know that, but you also know how strong Sakura is becoming, how strong the bond between her and the Cards is. And you don't like that, do you, Yue?"

Yue drew in a deep breath, the air cool from the loss of sunlight, yet crisp before the morning dew started to form. He closed his eyes briefly and tilted his head down, loose strands of silvery-white hair, worked loose from his plait, falling against his shoulders, brushing against his face.

But still the angel said nothing.

There was a time when Kero would have admonished Yue for what he knew was going on in that mind of his, taking advantage of the few years age difference by scolding him. He would have said, 'What would Clow say if he walked out here right now and…?'

But, needless to say, he would do no such thing. Clow wasn't here to scold the two halfheartedly for fighting or causing trouble, only to smile warmly at them and leave them be.

He would hold his tongue on that subject, but when Kerberos was on a roll, there as no stopping him. "You don't like that Sakura may well be as powerful as Clow." He stated point-blank. "Even though you have seen it for yourself, seen what she's capable of, you still hold Clow up on that damned pedestal of yours!"

Kero didn't expect Yue to respond; in their earliest years Yue would sulk after being scolded, back when he was so young, as attracted to mischief as Kero still was. So it startled the lion to hear, softly;

" 'The Moon doth hide behind a veil of mysteries, jealously guarded secrets kept away from prying eyes; but the Sun glimmers and shines, illuminating even the deepest of chasms and bringing sorrow into the light.'" Yue's voice was, for once, without the rough edge and harsh sting of centuries of bitter remorse; it was void of the need to bristle himself, quills on end, shielding himself from interrogation.

A quote, one from a poem Clow read to them often, about the sun, moon, earth and stars.

"Hiding behind a veil of mysteries…" Kero mused thoughtfully. "I think 'veil' might be too weak a word. Try 'concrete wall.'"

"Your wit, as always, astounds me, Kerberos." Yue remarked coolly, but with none of the bite in his voice he usually reserved for the Sun Guardian. "Be it gossamer or solid stone, I notice you have always been able to see right through it. Perhaps…perhaps, in a way, you were on to something...but not entirely," he added icily, before his brother could begin gloating. "I do not wish for the Mistress to win this fight, and will do everything in my power to prevent a triumph, but it isn't because I wish to prove her weak…"

Kerberos studied the being beside him intently with fiery amber eyes. "Then…why?"

And Yue smiled. The slightest, almost imperceptible curve to his lips, but a smile nonetheless.

"If you pride yourself so greatly in your empathy skills, Onii-Chan, why don't you tell me?"

"Onii…Onii-Chan! You haven't called me that since…!" but Kerberos's gob smacked stammering were spoken only to a pair of opalesque wings and a long silver braid as Yue walked slowly towards the entrance of the shrine to meet the Mistress, whose flashy costume was easily visible in the moonlight.

Kerberos huffed dazedly, trying to wrap his mind around this breach in he laws of the universe. Yue? Smiling? Calling Kero Onii-Chan? "-Since Clow was alive…"

For several moments, Kerberos sat back on his hind legs, his tail flickering like a metronome as he watched Yue bow to Sakura and speak to her in his usual emotionless tongue.

If it wasn't his pride and it wasn't Sakura, then what was it that had him so eager to fight…?

)o(

If the Mistress was apprehensive about the impending duel, she didn't show it. Only excitement and confidence was evident on her ever-cheerful expression as she greeted the second guardian.

"Are you ready to begin Sakura-Sama?" he asked, not wasting any time with pleasantries.

Yue didn't do well with small talk.

When the young mistress nodded eagerly and began her way to the center of the Tsukimine Temple, Yue followed her, 3 steps behind as per usual. A sudden rustling of leaves stopped the angel in mid stride; a small snap of brush to his right. He peered curiously through whisping strands of white hair, studying the thick growth of trees and hedges.

Nothing. No movement, no magic that could be sensed. A stray cat, perhaps…He shook off his feeling of unease and brushed his long hair softly over is shoulder, away from his face.

And not a one of them, not the lion nor the angel, nor the young magician or her friend noticed Touya, standing just out of sight, well hidden among the low and lush boughs, watching intently at the scene before him…

)o(

There you have it! Part one in the One Shot That Wasn't! I haven't written a one-shot yet that actually STAYED a one-shot!

Please read and review! Part two will be up soon!

Lottsa love,

LLC


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